Lost in Fire
by Violet Eagle
Summary: It has been months since Eleryna destroyed the Ring and brought peace to Middle Earth. But she cannot have peace until Sauron is dead, once and for all. Sequel to Daughter of Elrond.
1. Gone Hunting

**And here is the sequel to The Daughter of Elrond! I don't plan for it to be that long. Really it is just what Eleryna goes through during the two or three years before Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond sail. Enjoy!**

* * *

She looked at the leaves and branches above her. It had been almost a year since she had destroyed the Ring and defeated Sauron. She and her husband had decided to stay in Lothlórien so she could continue to heal. The wound she had received from her final battle had been both Morgul and filled with dark magic from Sauron. She had been in a coma for three months where she had believed that she was his prisoner. That was according to everyone else. She knew that Sauron had survived. She had fought with him when she had woken. She had called him by name in Minas Tirith when she was surrounded by her friends and family. Legolas and Haldir had both tried to tell her that it was Gandalf she had seen and not Sauron. In her fit, she had seen only enemies around her. But she knew the truth. She knew that she had seen Sauron. She would have disappeared with him if she hadn't turned to fight off Elrohir whom she had thought one of Sauron's servants trying to subdue her again. She had tried telling all of this to Legolas and Haldir. They would both say that what she had thought to be real was only the result of her fighting off the last of Sauron's magic. Even her grandmother said that she had been fighting with Gandalf and not Sauron.

Eleryna turned to lay on her side and tried to sleep. Rest had not come easily to her since she had woken in Minas Tirith. Not when she knew that Sauron was still alive and preparing his next attack on Middle Earth. She had to find him. There was no other choice for her. In order for her to be at peace, she would have to find and kill Sauron, if only in her own mind. Maybe everyone was right and he was dead. If he wasn't, he would have surely laid waste to the Golden Wood looking for her already. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

Legolas opened his eyes and saw the golden leaves above him. He knew that they should be returning to Mirkwood to ensure that it had remained unharmed in during the war. But Eleryna's health was more important. It was the reason they had returned to Caras Galahon rather than to Mirkwood. Mirkwood was too close to Mordor for the moment. He couldn't afford to have the woman he loved fall back under the darkness that still seeped from that forsaken place. It had done much harm to her already. She was forever scarred on her cheek, elbow, side, and chest. The chest wound had caused them all much grief. It was that wound that had left Eleryna in a limbo while she fought off the last of Sauron's dark magic. He had been scared that he would lose her that time. He was glad that he hadn't and that he had woken up with her at his side for the past six months, since the funeral of Théoden, late King of Rohan. Once she was healed, they would return to his father's halls for a time and then they would take some Elves and return to Ithilian and help rebuild, as he had promised Aragorn. He knew they wouldn't be able to stay long in Ithilian since Eleryna would soon have to take up her grandmother's task as Lady of the Golden Wood until they sailed.

Legolas reached over to pull his wife close to him. He did this every morning, an assurance to her that she was safe with him in Lórien. His hand landed on cold sheets. He sat up quickly and looked for his clothes. He worried about her, worried that she would fall into another fit and leave, searching for something that only she believed existed. He hated that he could not protect her from Sauron and his magic. It had damaged her mind and the damage was slow in healing. He wondered if it would ever heal or if she would be forever scarred by the journey she had taken upon her own shoulders. He found his clothes folded neatly on a chair, left by Eleryna no doubt. She had gotten into the habit of picking things up if she couldn't sleep at night; picking up the pieces in her mind he guessed. As he dressed, another thought crossed his mind. Perhaps she had left early and was with Haldir. She had a habit of sparring with her guardian or going on patrols with him in an effort to find peace. But he wasn't content with that. He had to know for sure. He was still too worried about her to wait for her to come back from a patrol.

Legolas climbed down the stairs from Eleryna's talan which was near the top of the tree. They would soon be living in the top if they didn't move to Ithilien first. He had noticed things beginning to disappear from his in-laws' talan, personal things.

He reached the bottom of the tree and looked around. The Elves were talking and smiling. There was definitely more cheer than had been when they had come through with the Ring. But there was also a sense of leaving. Many of the Elves of Lóien would be moving northward towards Mirkwood and the Silverlode. Celeborn and Thranduil had negotiated an agreement that Lórien would get some of the land they had freed and his father would move his borders south. There was a stretch of land called the Narrows that separated the two realms. There was peace for the moment which allowed for Legolas and Eleryna to live in Lórien while she healed and then for them to move to Ithilien.

Legolas smiled to the Elves he passed, asking some about Haldir until he was finally pointed to the other side of the tree. Haldir was curled in his cloak and asleep. Legolas scowled. One would think that Haldir had not slept in months the way he snored now. The Elf Prince nudged the sleeping Elf's side and waited. Haldir didn't move except to turn over, away from the foot. Legolas frowned. He didn't have time for this. If Haldir was here, then he didn't know where Eleryna had gone. Of course, her current disappearance would be blamed on Legolas who had been with her overnight. Legolas kicked the other's back and Haldir jumped up with a shout. He turned in circles, unwrapping himself from his cloak and finally saw Legolas.

 _ **"Legolas, I wasn't expecting you."**_

 _ **"I doubt you would have expected anyone while snoring like that."**_ Legolas said. Haldir raised an eyebrow. _**"You were supposed to be guarding Ryna."**_

 _ **"She was asleep with you."**_

 _ **"Until morning. After that, she generally stays with you and gains her strength. Did you send her out on a patrol?"**_

 _ **"I haven't seen Lady Eleryna since last night when she and you retired to bed."**_ Haldir checked his weapons to make sure that none had been taken as a prank. His brothers enjoyed toying with him, especially when he had to take care of Ryna.

 _ **"She was gone this morning and I have spent the last half of the day looking for you."**_ Haldir looked at Legolas. The prince nodded. They both knew what this meant. If Ryna was not with her grandparents or somewhere within the city or the surrounding areas, she was gone again. It had been months since her last fit. Then, she was convinced that Sauron had sent Orcs to take the Golden Wood in their lulled caution. Haldir and Legolas and Galadriel had been unable to convince her that the war was over and that no Orc army was coming to take the Golden Wood. The next morning, she had been gone. Legolas and Haldir had found her a few days later, standing at the northern border of Lothlórien, swords drawn. They had had to knock her unconscious and then carry her back where she was placed in the healing houses with athelas water to calm her mind. She became withdrawn for the next few days and would only talk with her grandmother, learning her duties as Lady of the Golden Wood. This time, there was no telling what would happen. She hadn't given any indication that she was getting ready to leave again.

Haldir left to find Galadriel while Legolas returned to her talan. He thought that maybe she had returned while he had been looking for Haldir. The talan was empty and he noticed what he hadn't noticed that morning. Her things were gone. Her armor, her swords, and her pack. As captain, Haldir would have known if a patrol had gone out. He sat on the bed and thought. If she wasn't with Galadriel, which he was beginning to doubt that she was, where would she have gone? She hadn't given any sign that she was becoming agitated again. She had been pacing more lately and always looking east, towards Mordor. Then she would pretend it hadn't happened. He had thought that it was just her remembering the war and trying to get over it. But there was another reason. No one had seen Gandalf since he had disappeared while fighting Ryna in Minas Tirith. If she had been looking towards Mordor, it meant that she still didn't believe them about Sauron being dead. He doubted seeing the ruins of the tower would convince her. But if he knew that she was going to Mordor, there was a chance that he could catch her before she got there. He had to. Otherwise she would get herself killed trying to kill something that was already dead and had been for almost a year. He hated to think of what would happen if she got to Mordor and whatever of Sauron's magic still lingered worked its will on her. She was powerful. If she began using the dark magic of Sauron, he doubted that even Galadriel would be able to save her granddaughter.

Legolas began packing quickly. He needed to find his wife before she did something she would regret or that killed her.

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 **Like I said, I don't plan on this fic being very long, but then again, it might be. For sure, Legolas and Haldir are going to be traveling together which should be fun. hehehe. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	2. Needing a Cure

**Hi Everyone! Sorry I've been inactive. Some things happened and so I couldn't work on my fics. But I hate leaving things unfinished and so here it goes. Enjoy! (And no, this is not the last chapter, far from it)**

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The wizard threw the book across the room in disgust. Three months he had been looking for the reason that the Ring Bearer had attacked him. Three months that he had been looking for a cure. When he had appeared in Mordor, hoping that she was with him, he had hoped to be able to use his magic to heal her mind, thinking that the same had been done to her that had happened to Théoden. Of course, now he couldn't be sure since he had witnessed her supposed healing. When he had realized that she was not with him, he had gone looking for her and found her in Lothlórien with her grandparents and husband at her side. He had watched her then. Seen her begin to pick up the pieces of her life. Then she had had her fit. She had been convinced that Sauron was sending an army of Orcs to the Golden Wood. The wizard had watched as Eleryna stood guard at the border, determined to protect her home from the threat only she knew of, that only she believed existed. That was when the wizard had known that she was not as healed as everyone thought she was. That was when he had begun looking for a cure among Saruman's books and collections. So far, he had found nothing that would help to save the Elf from her plight.

"Gandalf," a voice said from the balcony. The wizard looked and saw a young Ent. They had returned to the surrounding forest since Gandalf had taken up residence in Isengard and had decided among themselves to watch over the place, in case Saruman should return.

"Yes, what is it?" Gandalf asked.

"The king is here to see you." The Ent answered.

"Let him pass." The Ent moved away from the balcony and Gandalf rubbed his eyes. The king could be anyone. The Ents never asked for names when it came to someone needing to see him. They would let just about anyone with good intentions in. Treebeard would have made sure who was coming in. The wizard missed the old Ent. But he had gone to make sure the rest of the forest was still safe and had yet to return to Isengard.

"Gandalf?" Aragorn's voice reached up the stairs as the king, once a Ranger of the north, climbed them. A minute later, the man was standing in the door. He looked happier than he had been in all the years that Gandalf had known him.

"Aragorn, what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I've been looking for you." The king admitted. "I have when I could find the time away from my duties. You've been missing since Ryna woke."

"I've been trying to find a cure for her." Gandalf said, indicating the piles of books around him. "I have gone through everything that Saruman had in his possession and I have not found a single clue as to what could be wrong with her mind. It is damaged, Aragorn. In the months that I have watched her, I have been able to see that it is damaged. She believes that the war is not over."

"But it is." Aragorn said as he sat in a vacant chair.

"To us, perhaps. But for Eleryna, the war still rages on around her. To her, this is a false peace. In her mind, Sauron is out there, in physical form, planning his next attack against her."

"What if we showed her the ruins of Mordor?" Aragorn suggested. "Would that be enough to convince her that Sauron is defeated?"

"I do not know. With her mind damaged the way it is, nothing is certain anymore."

"The Elves still do not know that you live, do they?"

"No, I have kept myself hidden to avoid sending Eleryna into her delusion. But that may not be enough anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Some time back, she believed that Sauron was sending an Orc army to Lothlórien. There was nothing there to signify an army was coming. No reports. No signs of Orcs. But still, she believed the threat was there enough that she alone stood guard at the border of the Golden Wood and waited for them. She had to be knocked unconscious by Legolas before she would return to the city."

"What do you propose we do, Gandalf? Killing her won't do anything to help her."

"It would end her misery." Gandalf said, ignoring the look of shock on the king's face. Killing her would be the merciful thing to do. Healing her, if it was possible, would do nothing except prolong her suffering. Frodo was beginning to feel the effects of the Morgul poison that had not been removed from him when it had been thought he was healed. There was still a ghost of it within in him. In Eleryna, there was a shade of Sauron and his cursed magic and it was driving her mad. If they didn't find a cure for her soon, death would be the only solution else she may become a force to be reckoned with herself.

* * *

She looked around the clearing she was in and wondered at her decision. There was no doubt that it was the right one. Sauron needed to be found and killed before he could attack Middle Earth again and she was the only one who would be able to find him. She would start in Mordor. He would have gone there after disappearing during their fight in Minas Tirith. He may have rebuilt his tower but at the same time, possibly not, if her friends were to be believed. It was the reason she hadn't asked Legolas and Hadlir to come with her. They didn't believe her. They thought her delusional. She thought them insane, or possibly controlled by Sauron himself. The only one she could rely on was her brother, Elrohir. He had been the one to pull her from Sauron's tower and take her back to Minas Tirith. She knew that he could be trusted. That he would follow her in this one last quest to save Middle Earth.

Eleryna sighed and got to her feet. It was only a matter of time before Haldir and Legolas figured out she was gone and they would be trying to take her back to Caras Galadhon and force her to be subdued once again. The only reason the Orcs hadn't attacked was because Sauron knew that she knew he was coming for her. She had known and was prepared to fight him off once again. She would fight him now and make sure that he would not rise from the ashes this time. He would be gone for good.

Eleryna began walking again. She knew that her father and brothers would think it odd that she had walked to Rivendell as opposed to ride, but a horse would have been too easy to track and she needed secrecy. She couldn't be followed. Legolas and Haldir would go to Mordor first to look for her. They wouldn't think that she would first seek help from her brother. Her only problem was that her father would want to keep her within his halls if he suspected that she was ill. She couldn't just walk in and go to her brother and ask him to travel with her to defeat Sauron. But he did love a hunt. Maybe if she asked him to go along with her to hunt spiders or something, she would be able to get him to follow her. That wasn't going to work either. She needed something feasible that he would believe. She would think of something.

* * *

Elrohir sighed as he looked out at the forest. He missed hunting with the Rangers and with Aragorn. Much had changed in the year that Sauron had been defeated. Rivendell was especially changed now that both of his sisters were gone. He worried about Ryna. She hadn't been herself after the war had ended. She had changed. They all had. But Ryna seemed to the most changed. She no longer seemed wild like she had been before the war. Even after her marriage, she hadn't changed much. If anything, she had changed Legolas and now they matched each other in a perfect couple. But after the war, he wasn't so sure about his baby sister's mental stability. He needed to find a cure for her. the only way that he would be able to do that is to go along with her delusion that Sauron was still alive. Legolas had sent him a letter saying that she had believed an army had been sent to attack Lothlórien a few months back. She wasn't healed. She was still afraid of what was already destroyed. Elrohir touched his cheek, the one that Ryna had scratched when he had pulled her off of Gandalf. There were four long scars from her nails.

"Elrohir," Elladan's voice reached him from his memory. The Elf looked at his twin and saw a note in his hand. "Found this in the stable. Addressed to you."

"This had better not be another prank." Elrohir snarled. "I'm not in the mood."

"I promise, It's not." Elladan put up his hands. Elrohir snatched the note from his hand and ripped it open. He paid little attention to the writing as he read the language he and Ryna had created to keep between the two of them. She had used it often when she needed to complain about her life in Mirkwood when he would visit her there. He would find it hidden in his bag. The note was from her. She was asking him to meet her in the wooded plain outside the valley. She needed his help. This was his chance to find a cure for her. He could watch her, find what sent her into her delusions about Sauron. If he could heal her, then everything would go back to normal. Elrohir crumpled the paper and hurried into the house to grab his things. Elladan didn't follow or pester his twin about the note. He knew that Ryna and Elrohir had a connection that no one was ever able to understand. All Elladan knew was that Ryna had sent that note and that she was in trouble. He would just need to keep it from his father in order to let it play out.

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 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. Evil is a Hard Thing to Kill

She looked at the two elves who cared deeply for her granddaughter. The woman had been slow in healing from her efforts to end the war. Now she was gone again. Galadriel feared that this journey would claim her life, that Sauron was still attempting to take her with him, to keep her from those who loved her. This fit had come without warning and she had left just as suddenly. Eleryna had also blocked herself from Galadriel's sight. She didn't want to be found, that much was certain. What she was doing, no one knew. But Galadriel had a guess. She still believed that Sauron lived. She would be going after him. Gandalf would have to be warned before she could be found.

 _ **"As you both know, Eleryna has gone off again. I stopped the two of you from leaving straight after her for multiple reasons. The most of which being that we do not know where to start looking. I suspect she will be returning to Mordor to see if she can find a trace of him. When she finds nothing there, she will go to Isengard. Gandalf must be warned if he is there. Before you go on your hunt for her, I would ask you to go to him and warn him to be on his guard. If this indeed a fit of the mind caused by the war, she will believe that he is Sauron when he is seen by her. I would rather him stay in Rivendell or come to us and be safe."**_

 _ **"He will not leave unless absolutely necessary."**_ Legolas said.

 _ **"It is necessary."**_ Haldir said. _**"If she catches him off guard, she can easily kill him. He may be the only hope we have of saving her."**_

 _ **"I can get through to her."**_ Legolas said confidently. Galadriel looked at him, a sparkle of laughter in her eyes.

 _ **"That may be, Legolas."**_ She said. _**"But Gandalf still needs to be warned. If this malady of the mind is something magical in nature, perhaps he can find the cure. Go now. Go together and bring her home."**_ The two elves bowed and left the talan. Galadriel watched them go, the laughter fell from her eyes. She feared the worst. She always had when it came to her youngest granddaughter. From the day she was born, Galadriel knew that Eleryna would be hunted because of what her birth had given her. Galadriel had chosen the girl before she was even born, touching her soul while Celebrían was still pregnant with her. Galadriel had known that her youngest granddaughter was strong enough for the task of ruling the Golden Wood. She had never expected that her granddaughter's path would lead her to the Ring and to its destruction which had almost been her own. At times, Galadriel wondered if Eleryna had been meant to die in that mountain and it was only through pure luck that Aragorn had been able to bring her back. But had he brought her back fully? Eleryna was still in the war. She wasn't thinking that she still had the Ring. But she feared that Sauron had taken it from her. No, Legolas would not be able to bring his wife from the darkness that she was lost in. She would need someone who was closer to her than husband and wife. Someone who knew her better than even her parents did, who shared in her pain when her mother was attacked. The one who had pulled her from the darkness that had consumed her mind. Her brother. Eleryna needed her brother.

* * *

Elrohir settled into the quiet of the surrounding forest. She was around here somewhere. But she was afraid. He knew it. She was afraid of being found by those she feared and by those she cared about. The fears were in her mind, he knew. But she didn't know that. Not yet. He would help her to see that. He would help her see Gandalf as the White Wizard and not as Sauron. But she would have to gain her trust, though he suspected that he already had some of it. But the amount of trust he had was not enough to convince her that she was safe and the war was truly over, for good. If she had believed or trusted the rest of the family that much, she wouldn't have sent a secret note. She would have come into Rivendell and asked him to come along. Elrohir knew why she hadn't and why she had asked for him alone and in the manner she had. The rest of the family had tried telling and convincing her that Sauron was dead. They were trying to force her to believe something she knew in her mind to be false. He had been the only one to be quiet about Sauron, only saying that she was safe. Maybe that's why she had been secretive about what she was doing. In her note, all she had said was that she needed help, his help and that he was the only one who could help her. He had always gone along with her delusion. He had always gone along with her and what she wanted. He had always been the one to get through to her.

"Elrohir," he heard her voice and looked around. She was sitting at the base of the largest tree in the clearing. She was looking at her hands and the burn there from when she had tried getting into the sealed doors of Moria so long ago, when the Balrog had first taken it. "I'm glad you came."

"You need me. You know I can never stay away when you need me." He answered and she smiled. He sat down next to her. "What do you need my help with? Is it Legolas? Has he been acting awful towards you?"

"No. He's been taking care of me. No, what I need your help with is far more dangerous."

"Knocking some sense into your husband is hardly what I call dangerous." Eleryna smirked and looked up from her hand and to her brother.

"I need you to help me defeat Sauron." She said. Elrohir said nothing. He had known, had felt it. She was not healed, not completely. She had fallen into a delusion and no one had seen it. "He is alive. I know he is. I just don't know where he is. He may have had everyone fooled in Minas Tirith, but not me. I saw through his guise. Maybe we can find Gandalf. Maybe he can help."

"What if Gandalf is a prisoner, same as you had been?" Elrohir said suddenly. He had no idea why he was saying it, but it felt right to him. It felt like he had to play along with her in order to help her heal. Maybe it was time to let her delusion play itself out. Maybe then she would see the truth. "What if that was how he was able to wear the guise of Gandalf?"

Eleryna didn't say anything. But she didn't need to. Elrohir saw her putting the pieces together in her head. Elrohir knew that the last time that his sister had seen the wizard had been at Helm's Deep before she and Boromir had left to take the Ring to Mordor. She had no idea that he was the one to pull her from the fires that poured from Mount Doom that day. She often mentioned she thought she had seen eagles.

Eleryna looked her feet and thought about the words her brother had just told her. Gandalf, a prisoner yet again. It made sense. She thought she had seen eagles that day and had been picked up by a Nazgúl. What if the beast had captured Gandalf first and then gone for her? It did explain how she saw him in Minas Tirith and why Gandalf had not been seen since that final battle. According to Legolas, he had been there when the two armies met and she destroyed the Ring. Gandalf could have even been captured in the confusion that followed the destruction of Mordor.

"What is the plan, Gwaleth?" Elrohir asked.

"We have to start looking for Sauron. If you are right and Gandalf is his prisoner, then we have no time to waste. If Sauron manages to turn Gandalf, he will become another Saruman and that would be dangerous for all."

"Where do we start looking?"

"Everyone has been telling me that the tower in Mordor has been destroyed. I am not sure how true that is, but I do know that Sauron will not have gone back to it right away. His next option would be Dul Guldur."

"But Grandmother made sure that no evil was left in that place."

"Evil is a hard thing to kill."

* * *

The king looked at the lights of his city. It weighed on him that he could not rejoice that his friend lived. No one was to know that Gandalf lived in Isengard. The Ents would not tell as they talked to few and even fewer knew the Common Tongue. He wished he would be able to tell his wife. But that was impossible. If she were to tell Galadriel, word could easily get back to Eleryna and she would fall into another delusion. She had to remain sane if they were to find a cure for her.

Aragorn nudged his horse forward. He was happy to be home and eager to see his wife again. He had missed her more than he had Gandalf's companionship and guidance. The ride took very little time and soon, the king was back in the Citadel and looking for his Elven bride. He found her in the gardens. It was her favorite place. He often found her in the garden that she and Eleryna had planted the night before the wedding. It was a small piece of home for Arwen that she could go to when she missed her family and could not easily go to them. Now would be the time she was needed by her sister the most.

 _ **"Arwen, I have returned."**_ He said has he hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek. He saw a letter in her hand. _**"What is that, my love?"**_

 _ **"A letter from my grandmother. Eleryna has run off. She cannot be found anywhere within the Golden Wood. They fear that she has fallen victim to another delusion."**_ She handed him the note and he read it. It was what he had feared, that the delusion of Sauron still living would return. This time, she had left the Golden Wood instead of trying to protect it.

 _ **"She does not believe Sauron dead."**_

 _ **"They are asking we keep watch on the entrances to Mordor for her. They think that she will return see the ruins."**_

 _ **"We can't send a company. That would scare her off. I will have Faramir send a handful of Rangers in the morning."**_ Aragorn set the note down on the bench and turned his wife to face him. _**"Now tell me, how are the two joys of my life?"**_ He asked as he kissed her growing belly and she laughed. Even though they laughed and felt happy, both knew of the darkness that was taking the youngest of their family and knew that it would be a hard thing to banish.

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 **Thanks for reading and please review.**


	4. Ryna's Champion

"This is ridiculous." Legolas mumbled as he followed Haldir southwest towards Isengard. "I could be out looking for Ryna right now and leading her back from the shadows."

"You tried that." Hadir called back. "She doesn't trust you enough to believe you. Otherwise she would have taken you with her."

"The same could be said for you, Haldir."

"Why would she trust me more than her husband?" Haldir shot back and Legolas grasped for an answer a moment before shutting his mouth. He didn't want to be on this damned journey with Haldir. The two of them, though friendlier to each other, had no love for each other. Haldir still believed that Legolas was responsible for all that had happened to Eleryna before and during the war. Legolas didn't like his wife's bodyguard. If he had been around for some of the events, such as the Nazgûl attack, Ryna would have been safe. But he hadn't been. As for the attacks in Mirkwood, Haldir had refused to go to Mirkwood with her. The two had been at each other's throats during the war to the point that they had both been knocked unconscious by Ryna. But Haldir, for once, was right. Why would Ryna trust him more than her own husband who had been through so much with her. Yes, he had not been there when she had received her near fatal wound, but he had been with her throughout most of the war. If she didn't trust him, who did she trust?

Elrohir.

The name vibrated in Legolas's skull the echoes of the drums of Khazad-Dûm. Elrohir had always been the closest to the youngest of the siblings. Not even Arwen could claim such a relationship. Elrohir would be the one trusted above all. He was the one to pull Ryna from the fires when she had woken. Legolas had been too stunned to move and so had not helped the woman he loved. If she felt she needed help, she would go to Elrohir.

"Haldir,"

"What is it now, Legolas?" Haldir answered from next to him.

"Where is the younger son of Elrond?"

"In Rivendell as far as I am aware. Why do you ask about the son of Elrond?"

"Trust. Ryna would trust him above all of us. She would go to him for aid. What are the chances that we can get to Rivendell before her?"

"None existent." Haldir said and Legolas's hope faded. "We spent more time than we should have searching the Golden Wood for her. It is very possible that she could have arrived and left with her brother by now. Which makes it even more important that we try to find Gandalf and warn him. Elrohir may not be able to control Eleryna if she sees him again."

"You go to Isengard." Legolas snarled. "I'm going to look for my wife."

"There is no need for that." Gandalf's voice boomed. The two elves looked and saw the wizard standing in the middle of the road, dressed in gray robes.

"It is good to see you alive, Mithrandir." Haldir greeted and bowed his head slightly. "The Lady sent us to warn you. Eleryna has left the safety of Lórien. We assume it is to find you, or Sauron I should say."

"I see." Gandalf said and whistled. "If she has fallen back under the hold of the delusion, then she will seek out someone she trusts with her very life."

"Elrohir." Legolas said. "He is the one who pulled her from her delusion in Minas Tirith. He is the only one who has not said that she was crazy." Haldir and Gandalf both looked at the Elf prince. It was true. Everyone had been telling the youngest child of Rivendell that al she believed real was a lie and that the war was over when for her, the war was not over. Sauron was hiding, waiting the right moment to capture her and once again make war upon Middle Earth. In her mind, she had failed in destroying the Ring even though everyone was telling her that she had. Everyone except for Elrohir. When he visited, he spoke to Ryna like a normal person, that she was sane. Legolas hadn't understood at the time when their whispers would suddenly stop when someone else entered the vicinity. They had been talking about her war that was being waged in her mind and soon, it would begin to play out in the real world and there was no telling how dangerous that could be. "Elrohir is the only one who hasn't told her that the war is over. I didn't understand before, but now I do. He has played along with her delusion this entire time. That would earn her trust above even that of her father's and grandmother's."

"I see what you are saying, Legolas." Gandalf said. "But if you are correct in your thinking, then we do not have time to waste. I believe I can find the way to cure her. It is a malady of the mind and so we have to cure the mind."

"And if she can't be cured, Mithrandir?"

"We don't have a choice, Haldir." Gandalf mounted Shadow Fax. "We have to find a way to cure her mind else risk Sauron being able to use her from the grave and then all that she fears will come to pass. Let us go. We must find them before we lose her entirely."

* * *

Eleryna dodged one blow and killed her attacker before blocking another blow. The Orcs had come upon them in the middle of the night while they were getting ready to set up camp. It was the same amount of orcs as had been Urukai when they had kidnapped her from Parth Galen. They would not take her this time. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before they knew that she had left the supposed safety of Lothlórien and come after her again. Sauron wanted her as a servant. He wanted to use her power for her own. Well she wouldn't let him. She would fight him until her last breath and even then, she would fight him. She would ensure her body burned and not able to be possessed as Boromir's had been. She shouldn't have let him follow her. But she could not change her mind and she didn't want to be alone. But taking him with her had been a mistake and he had fallen when he could have lived. It was the reason she had brought Elrohir, part of the reason anyway. She trusted him and she knew that he could take care of himself. And, he would be able to save her if something happened to her. She didn't like knowing that Sauron now had physical form and could come after her himself if need be.

She blocked another blow that held against her. She moved back attacked again. The blade blocked and held. She pushed against the orc, knowing the only way to beat it would be to kill it. She needed to take its head.

"Ryna," she heard a voice call. She tried to shake it off, but it stayed with her. She couldn't let herself fall victim to Sauron's magic now, not while her life was at stake.

"Ryna," now the voice was starting to sound like Elrohir's. Was he hurt? "Ryna!" No, he wasn't hurt. The blade fell away and she lost her grip on hers. The glow of fire surrounded her. Two hands grasped her shoulders. "Ryna, wake up." She blinked and saw Elrohir's face in front of her, the scars on his cheek glowing in the dull light from the camp fire. She blinked again and looked around.

"Are they dead?"

"Yes, Sister. They are dead. We killed them and got away. You were standing guard and I stupidly came up behind you."

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, but you need sleep so it does not happen again."

"But,"

"I'll stand guard, Little Sister." He smirked. "You're safe as long as I watch over you, my Lady." He bowed deeply and she shoved him over, causing him to lose his balance. The two siblings began laughing. For Elrohir, the laughter was forced. For some reason, Eleryna had started fighting. He at first had thought the she was practicing her forms, still getting back in shape from her imprisonment. But when she had dodged two attacks and blocked a third, unseen and attacking multiple unseen enemies, he knew something was wrong. When he had fought her, her eyes seemed far away, as if she were in her own private battle. If what she had said when he brought her back was anything to judge by, the delusion was getting worse. This was more than just a malady of the mind or left over anxiety from a war. Anxiety would be seeing an enemy in the shadows. The blank look in her eyes was the work of magic. Ryna was right. Sauron was still trying to win. Two forces were fighting over his little sister and he had just become the champion of the light. All because Ryna trusted him more than anyone else in the world. He would follow her back into the fire and bring her out the other side.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading reading and please review.**


	5. Searching

"There is Dol Guldur." Ryna said to her brother. She had never seen it, but she knew what it looked like. She had almost been taken there when Golum escaped. Sauron had wanted her then, to keep her from helping end the war. He may have also wanted more which she refused to think about.

"Looks quiet."

"Looks can be deceiving." She said. "When Gandalf came here, he was ambushed by the Orcs that occupied these ruins and was captured for a time. This could be more of the same."

"Didn't Sauron hide the Orcs?" Elrohir asked, concerned.

"Yes," she answered. "And he could be doing the same now. Step careful."

Eleryna pulled her cloak close around her and began walking down to the ruins. Elrohir followed cautiously. He was prepared for her to go into another fit. He knew that their grandmother had cleansed the ruins after the war had ended, before they had even known that she was injured. But even though she had been told that, she didn't believe a word of what she had been told. This was something she needed to see for herself. She needed to see that this war was over. Once she had seen that, she would be able to heal from the poison and magic. It was only after he had pulled her from the dark fires of Sauron would she be able to heal. He could see the faint traces of his grandmother's light on the stones and he didn't feel the malice that he had when fighting near Mordor. But he had no idea what Ryna was seeing. She could be seeing the shadows of the ruins around her as they used to be.

"Do you see anything?" He asked after a time. They were walking towards the deeper dungeons of the ruins. She didn't say anything for a minute, as if trying to figure out what she was seeing.

"Nothing," she sighed in defeat. "There is nothing up here. Let's go farther down." She moved forward and he stopped her.

"How can you be sure there is something down there?" He turned her to face him, securing her in place with his hands on her shoulders. This was going to be one time that he would have to go against her delusion that Sauron lived. "When Sauron was forced from Mordor, Grandmother came here and cleansed these pits. I know she has told you as much. She was the one who forced from here just before the war, when she rescued Gandalf. There are traces of her magic here. Please tell me that you can feel that."

"I feel her magic here." Eleryna admitted. "But,"

"But nothing, Ryna." He interrupted. "Sauron couldn't fight against her magic then and he can't fight against it now. Her magic went down to the deepest pits. There is nothing there."

"There are traces of dark magic here." She said. "They're mingled with hers."

"No, Ryna. They are not. There is only the light magic that Grandmother wields."

"Please, maybe there is a clue to where he went."

"No, Ryna. We are not going deeper into these ruins. We have been all over these upper floors. There is no need to go into the dungeons." He led her to the entrance and the bridge. Even though he knew that his grandmother had cleansed the ruins, they unnerved him. They were having an effect on her and he couldn't have that. He needed to save her, not drive her farther into the darkness. He didn't know what Sauron had done to her, but Elrohir hoped the Dark Lord had not done anything to her like he had done with his ring. Though, he feared that some of Sauron's spirit might have seeped into her. He needed to know what had happened to her during the journey after Helm's Deep.

"But I don't know where else to look." She whispered. "Everyone claims that Mordor has been destroyed. And he wouldn't stay there after you've gotten in to save me once. He would find a place that was impenetrable so he could capture me again."

"If that were the case, look how easy we got in here. That means he is not here. Maybe he is elsewhere. Perhaps he has gone back to Mordor and rebuilt it without Gondor knowing."

She didn't say anything and he picked her up. She was light, much lighter than she should have been. He carried her up to where they had left their packs and looked into hers. She had no food except for a small piece of lembas bread left. How had he not seen it? He had only seen her eat a small bite of lembas each day. Just one little bite. One bite was supposed to be enough to feed an adult Elf for an entire day. But she had not been taking a normal bite. The bites had been small. Maybe only nibbles. Concerned, he checked her wounds, starting with the one on her cheek. It was inflamed. He had dried athelas, but it wouldn't do any good to her now in its current state. He gingerly lifted the edge of her tunic and saw the scar on her chest was also inflamed. He couldn't do anything for her here. The bath houses of Lórien would be best as they had no windows for the aroma of the athelas to escape. Not to mention that their grandmother was too far away to help them now. He had no way to cross the river this far south.

Thranduil. His sister's father-in-law should be able to help them. The first Morgul wounds she had ever received were under the trees of Mirkwood. She had been saved because athelas grew near the palace. He had heard Legolas tell the Lord of Rivendell that they had planted it in the palace garden just in case it was ever needed again. Now would be a good time for that. Elrohir knew the general direction the palace was in. He just hoped he could find it in time to save his sister.

* * *

Thranduil watched the forest path below. He had not seen his children since they had left to tell Elrond of the creature's escape. He had only gotten a letter from his son that he had decided to go with the Ring Bearer on his quest to destroy the Ring. That had been done, according to Celeborn. It had been almost a year since then. He thought that they would have returned by now. Perhaps Eleryna was taking on more of her grandmother's duties and Legolas elected to stay with her. It made sense but they could have at least sent a letter saying they were safe and unhurt.

Movement on the path took the king from his thoughts about his son and his wife. He looked closely and saw a blonde head. It was Eleryna. He looked up the path for a second, knowing his son wouldn't be far behind. When he didn't see one, he looked at Eleryna again. Now that she was on the bridge and near the gates, he could see that she was being carried by a dark haired Elf. This was odd. He left the window and went down to the gates. He wanted to know what was going on and where his son was. He feared the worst knowing that Eleryna was hurt. So what had happened to his son?

Thranduil met the two at the gates and saw Eleryna was unconscious. He noticed her cheek scar was inflamed and felt her head. She was burning with a fever. He looked at the Elf who carried her and noticed slight similarities, mainly their eyes. He shared the blue that was present in hers. This had to be one of the twin sons of Elrond, one of her brothers. The king called for the healers to ready athelas water and led the siblings to a windowless room where Eleryna was left in the care of the healers. Thranduil took his daughter's brother to the dining hall where he called for food for them.

"Tell me your name, Elf."

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I thought you would recognize me. I am Elrohir, Eleryna's brother."

"I do not think I had the pleasure of talking with you before when you would come to visit your sister." Thranduil answered. "Where is my son?"

"Lothlórien as far as I know." Elrohir took a drink of the water. "My Lord, I know you have been told that your son followed the Ring Bearer on his quest. That was right after the council, before things happened. My family has a special gift that, at times, we cannot control. I guess this happened immediately after the council or during it and whatever my sister saw convinced her to take the Ring herself."

"So she became the Ring Bearer. That does not explain why my son is not with her or what is wrong with her now."

"I have not finished. Carrying the Ring took its toll on my sister. But even before that, she had been a target of evil. Sauron had a second plan that involved using her to regain physical form. We didn't know this until she was unconscious in Minas Tirith after her fight with Sauron who had taken and possessed the body of the Captain of Gondor. She was gravely injured which had left an opening for Sauron's dark magic to try to take her. I fear there are still remnants within her and these are attacking her mind. She believes that he still lives. Everyone, including Legolas, has told her that he is dead. She is taking it as they don't believe her and that they believe her crazy. I have refused to tell her otherwise and so she trusts me above the rest."

"I see. So that is what drove the two of you here."

"I would have taken her back to Lórien had that been closer. But she was convinced that Sauron had once again taken up refuge in Dol Guldur and insisted we check there. That's when she fell ill. She had taken very little food with her when she left as well."

"Why do you go on with the delusion? Why not tell her the truth if she trusts you so much?"

"If I tell her the truth, she will turn on me. It is her mind, not her heart that controls her. Her heart may know the truth, but her mind is fighting with Sauron's magic and whatever piece of his soul he forced into her. She needs this journey to help her see that he is indeed gone."

"Where will you go from here?"

"I am going to wait and see what she remembers when she wakes. If she still believes that Sauron lives, then we will go to Mordor to find a clue as to where he has gone. If she believes that he has been destroyed, I will take her back to my father to heal from the poison." Elrohir didn't say anything else as he finished his food and took his leave of the king to be with his sister. Thranduil said nothing and thought. It made sense now why Galadriel had left suddenly during the negotiations and why he hadn't heard from his son in the past year. But he needed to send word to him.

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 **Thanks for reading and please review.**


	6. Messages

**Enjoy!**

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Legolas kept looking up at the sky as he laid on the grass. They had left the cover of the forests and were making their way to Mordor as fast as the horses could carry them. It was the logical choice that she would make if she wanted to destroy Sauron. She wasn't believing them that Sauron was dead and his tower in his dark land was destroyed. She would want to see it for herself. But would that be enough. Legolas wasn't sure. Hell, he hadn't even seen the signs that she was losing her mind to the delusion again. If he couldn't see that, what good was he to her as a friend or a husband? He should have been the one to tell her that everything was going to be alright and that they would find a way to destroy Sauron once and for all.

The call of a hawk broke the prince from his thoughts and he got to his feet. Circling down to him was a hawk of Mirkwood. To be more precise, it was his hawk, the only one who could find him. There was a message tied to her leg. Legolas called the hawk down to him and she landed on his shoulder. He spoke gently to her as she held out her leg so he could get the note. He read it carefully. It was from his father and he never sent notes unless it was extremely important.

As Legolas read, his face paled. She had fallen ill. No more. He wasn't going to let this go any longer. She needed him. He would go to her, even if it meant that she killed him. He would never let her go alone again. He should have gone after her to begin with. He grabbed his pack and jumped onto his horse and turned it northward. The hawk took flight and followed him as he galloped away. He needed to get to his wife.

* * *

Haldir paced back and forth as he waited for Gandalf to conduct his business, some of that being if the merchants had seen another elf go through the town. The prince had left in the middle of the night a few days ago without word to them. To say the least, it pissed Haldir off that the prince would just take off like he had. It was like he didn't even care if they found Eleryna alive or dead. Not to mention that Gandalf needed all the protection they could provide. Eleryna believed that he was Sauron. She planned to kill him on sight if that is what it took for her to be free of his magic. It was not something that Haldir was willing to risk. Middle Earth needed the Wizard. If he was dead and a new threat came upon them, who was going to help them?

"Don't worry, Haldir." Gandalf interrupted the Elf's thoughts. "I'm sure he had a good reason for leaving. Mordor is not the only place that Sauron stayed for a period of time."

"You speak of Dol Guldur." Haldir said. "She was almost taken there before the war began. It was cleansed by Lady Galadriel not long after the final battle."

"A battle Eleryna believes she lost. She may have gone to check there for him. Or me."

"Then why are we not going there?"

"She will be gone by the time we get there." Gandalf said. "Sooner or later, she will be going to Mordor. It is there that we need to be when she does go there. Where Legolas thinks he belongs is up to him. But I suspect that she may have been seen in Mirkwood else Legolas would not have left."

"Then we go o Mordor and await our doom."

"My doom, Haldir." Gandalf replied. "My doom. It is me she thinks is her enemy and it is me who shall pay the price for her healing." Gandalf mounted Shadowfax and turned the horse east and kicked him into a gallop. Haldir followed. He didn't like the words that Gandalf had spoken and was sure that the Wizard would sacrifice his life for Eleryna's. But his orders were clear. He needed to protect Gandalf and Eleryna.

* * *

Legolas looked out across the landscape. He had left his companions, yes. But he had a feeling that he would be seeing them again soon anyway. Sooner or later, Eleryna would be making her way to Mordor where Gandalf would no doubt wait for her. He needed to get to them so he could talk to Elrohir. Elrohir was the only one that she would listen to. He was the one that she trusted. If Elrohir knew that Gandalf would be waiting in Mordor, then he would take Eleryna there. It was where everything had begun. It was where everything needed to end. It hadn't ended for Eleryna and it needed to. He would make sure that it ended for her this time. He should have been there with her when she had faced off against Sauron. It should have been him to go with her, not Boromir. If he could go back and change that, he would. He would make it so he went along with them. Then, Eleryna may have been safe from Sauron's influence. That had been his task. When he had married her, part of the vows had been that he would always protect her and that she would never walk alone among the stars. Now, here she was, walking alone in the fires of Mordor. She was lost in the fires where he could no longer reach her. But he was determined to try. He would never let her go without him again.

Legolas called to the hawk and she landed on his outstretched arm.

"Go back." He told her, tying a new note to her leg. "Get an update on Eleryna." The hawk chirped and Legolas smiled. The hawk had been starting to get attached to Ryna. "I need to know if she is still at the palace. Go straight to my father. Do you understand?" The hawk chirped and took to the air. Legolas smiled and continued to ride towards his home, hoping to intercept Eleryna if she had indeed left like he believed that she had.

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 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. Burning

**A/N: The parts where the setting is in italics is a memory. The regular font wording in between that is actually happening in Eleryna's mind. Hopefully it'll make sense when you read it. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _She took her seat next to her husband in the middle of the gathered Elves. They had come at her father's behest and he had asked her and her husband to sit in on the council since the news they had brought several years ago was relevant now more than ever. Once everyone had settled, Elrond stood and faced them._

 _"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands on the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He paused for breath. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Eleryna watched as the Hobbit she had healed just the other night stood and walked to the middle of the patio where a pedestal waited and placed a simple gold ring on it. Dread filled her as she looked at the two of them. Something was going to happen, but she wasn't sure what it was or why she was so afraid. The Ring held her attention, preventing her from thinking of anything else. Something was tugging at her, and it was not the gold band that rested just feet from her._

"Wait," she thought, "this isn't right. This had already happened. Why am I back in the council? Was everything a dream?"

 _"In a dream," he spoke, "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark, but in the West a pale light lingered. It cried, 'Doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found." He reached for the Ring._

 _"Boromir!" Elrond cried._ She felt herself leave her seat to stop the Man. She knew him. He had died. It had been her fault. She stopped moving when she heard the black speech and looked where she knew Gandalf had sat. In his place was Sauron and she could understand his words.

"I have been waiting for you, She-Elf. I'm sorry, Daughter of Elrond. I have been looking for you for a long time. I know you know that I have."

"You are dead. I destroyed you." Eleryna took a step back, hoping to bump into her chair and this all be a dream and she was having a vision of some sort in the middle of the council. Wouldn't that be a fine thing for everyone to witness.

"If you're so sure of that, then why are you afraid?" Sauron laughed.

"I'm not afraid." Eleryna groped for the chair she knew should be behind her. "You are destroyed. Your Ring will follow."

 _"Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli growled, picking up his axe and swinging it. He struck the Ring with a bellow. But instead of shattering the gold, his axe shattered and he was knocked to his back._ Eleryna was back in her chair. She took a deep breath and watched as the council proceeded. The axe shattering had dispelled whatever vision she had been seeing. She would talk to her father after the council and ask him what it could mean as she was in just as much danger as anyone else could be. She turned back to the council.

 _"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess." Elrond said. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you, must do this." Silence and then,_

 _"One does not simply walk into Mordor." It was Boromir. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great eye, lidless and wreathed in flame, is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash and dust. Not with ten thousand men can you do this. It is folly."_

"Yes, it is folly." Sauron's voice interrupted the council again. Eleryna looked and saw Gandalf instead of Sauron. But the Wizard wasn't speaking. "Over here." She turned and saw Sauron sitting in Elrond's chair. The council was gone. The patio where it had been held was in ruins. She looked around and saw that her home was destroyed. "This is what you tried to prevent. This destruction. Maybe it would have happened had you let the Hobbit take the Ring. Maybe he was stronger than you. After all, I had a hard time trying to control him and the one before him." Sauron sat back, his face unreadable behind the crown he wore. "What you did was admirable, of course. Your people have always been the self-proclaimed guardians of the world." Eleryna drew her sword and got to her feet. Fire rose up around her. "It hurts less if you give in to it." Sauron's voice called to her as she struggled not to scream as she was burned. She tried pulling on the strength in her blood, but it only seemed to fuel the fire. She screamed. She could hear him laughing above her screams and it filled her ears. She couldn't remember her battle cry, the one that had gotten her through her journey. All she could do, was scream.

* * *

The scream tore Elrohir from his blankets and down the hall to where his sister slept. He burst through the door and pushed the healers aside. Eleryna was thrashing about and no one was able to get near enough to restrain her. He circled around and grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms to her side, much as he had done in Minas Tirith when she had attacked Gandalf. She screamed until her voice went out and she stopped trying to fight back. Instead, she began crying. Elrohir sat them on the bed and rocked her, much as their mother had done for them when they had woken up frightened, especially when the visions had started coming in their dreams. Of the four of them, Elrohir and Eleryna had been plagued by dream visions. Now, she was being plagued by more than just visions. This was not a normal vision if it was one at all. Her skin was hot as if she were surrounded by fire. She might as well be with how she believed that Sauron lived. It was his magic that was driving her to this madness. She needed to know that he was dead, that she had destroyed him. But how was that possible when it seemed that a piece of him still lived inside her? Had this been the Dark Lord's plan when it came to her? When his Ring could not be found, had he begun looking for the one with enough power that he could regain physical form?

Elrohir knew that she would want to go to Mordor once she woke. He had hoped that she had been healed by the remnants of magic in Dol Guldur, but it had been too much to hope for. If anything, it seemed to have made her worse. Would taking her to Mordor kill her? It was possible. He would take responsibility for it should it happen. He had gone along with her delusion. He had played the part of the fool. But, she was better off dead than being controlled by a monster long dead. They would go to Mordor.

* * *

"Elrohir, what is happening to me?" Eleryna asked as they sat under the trees. It had been several days since they had left the palace and the comforts within. They had been provided with clean clothes and food and horses. There would be no need to cross the river on this journey which allowed them the ability to ride and cover more ground in less time. They were currently camped at the edge of the forest, taking shelter under the trees before crossing the Brown Lands to Mordor.

"Sauron is trying to control you. He is making you seem like you are crazy." Elrohir said as he wrapped an arm around his sister. "He has been trying to control how you have seen things. His trick with your memory of the council was him trying to completely cut you off from what you know to be true."

"So, Haldir and Legolas could have been believing me and Sauron was only tricking my mind?" She said. Elrohir bit his lip and thought a moment for an answer. If he lost her now, there was no guarantee that he would get her back.

"No," he said carefully. "He has tricked everyone else that he is dead. It cannot work on you because he needs you alienated from those who love you and whom you love. He thinks you would be easier to take if you are alone."

"Don't let me be alone, Brother. I don't think I can stand it. When it was just me against him in Rivendell, I…" She didn't finish and Elrohir pulled her closer. She was shaking. She was afraid. Her fear was the reason he was doing this. It was why he was taking her to Mordor. All of this had started there. It was there it was going to end.

"I won't leave you alone, Ryna. I won't let you get burned." He whispered as she fell asleep on his shoulder.

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 **I'm thinking that this fic is getting close to the end. It wasn't meant to be that long as it only takes place between the end of the war and when Galadriel sails. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	8. Fighting

**Same as before, the sections in _italics_ are Eleryna's memory and the regular font is Sauron messing with her mind. Enjoy!**

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Elrohir kept watch as his sister slept. They were a few days into the Brown Lands and close to Morodr. She had mentioned climbing over the mountains, closer to Barad-dur, rather than trying to get through the destroyed gate or through the path she had taken before, closer to Minas Morgul. She had told him of her weakness, that she had almost walked into the citadel, into the hands of her enemy. Though, it seemed she was still doing the same thing. She was walking into the hands of her enemy by going into Mordor. But it had to end there. He needed to make sure that it ended there. If he couldn't do that, how could he expect to call himself her big brother, her protector?

He began looking through her pack. He had made sure that he had been the one to pack their things to ensure nothing went missing and he had seen something in hers that she had rarely spoken of. He nodded when he found it and pulled it out. It was the phial of starlight that their grandmother had given her on their journey. The Light of Eärendil, the Mariner. It had saved her from Shelob. Maybe it would save her from this.

Elrohir looked at his sister has she moaned in torment. Another nightmare. He kissed her forehead before placing the phial in her hand and he saw her calm.

* * *

 _"Are you going to let us go with you?" He asked._

 _"It doesn't seem that I have a choice, Mellon." She said. They smiled, him because he had found her safely, her because she had opened the door without actually revealing the password. Aragorn smiled and shook his head. Eleryna turned to face the Company and noticed that they all looked tired. "Come on." Eleryna took the first step into the mines with Gimli at her side._

"That is a neat trick." His voice entered her thoughts. She spun on her heels and saw him, sitting on a nearby rock. He didn't have the crown this time, but his face was still hard to see.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, looking for her companions. They were gone. She was alone in the entrance of the mines. Not even Gimli was beside her.

"I wanted to see the entrance of the place where my master's servant almost destroyed the Wielder of the Sacred Fire.

 _"And they call it a mine. A mine!"_ Eleryna looked around. She was with her companions again and Sauron was nowhere to be seen. Gandalf lit his staff. Gimli's voice had banished the vision this time.

 _"This is no mine." Boromir said. Eleryna looked at the ground and the skeleton at her feet. "It's a tomb." Gimli cried as he saw a skeleton in the corner._

 _"Goblins!" Legolas hissed. Eleryna drew her knives, Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, and Legolas strung his bow._

 _"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here." Boromir said._

"I would watch my feet if I were you." Sauron's voice cut above the noise. She looked and saw him on the steps inside the door before she was tugged backwards toward the door.

 _She cried out in surprise as it pulled her back and she lost hold of her knives. The others turned at her shout and the clatter of metal on stone and saw a tentacle pulling her towards the water. She tried grabbing a dagger she had in her boot. Legolas shot an arrow at the beast. It had no effect. Aragorn jumped into the water and started slashing tentacles. She didn't see Boromir cut the tentacle that was holding her and screamed in surprise as she fell. Boromir caught her and ran to the door._

 _"Into the mines!" Gandalf shouted. Legolas shot another arrow at the beast, stunning it for a moment. She pulled herself out of Boromir's arms and grabbed her knives as the creature collapsed the door behind him. She breathed heavily. "We now have but one choice." Gandalf said, lighting his staff again. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world." She sighed and made sure she had a majority of her arrows since her bow and quiver had been torn from her back on a rock. Gandalf and Aragorn started walking, Boromir and Gimli walked in the middle with Eleryna and Legolas at the rear, having the best sight._

"Yes, there are worse things in the dark than Orcs and the Watcher." Sauron's voice followed her as she walked. "That beast would have killed you and the Ring would have ben lost forever. At least until the Nine had come to take it."

"What do you want with me?" Eleryna shouted as flames sprang up around her again followed by Sauron's laughter.

* * *

"Tell me!" Eleryna shouted, waking her brother and he nearly fell from the branch he had been sleeping on. He jumped out of the tree and pulled his sister close. She was hot again, like she had been in Mirkwood. But this time was different. She wasn't screaming in pain. He forced the phial into her hand and she calmed down. They were close to Mordor now and he was glad. It meant that this was almost over.

"You can let go of me now." She said and he looked down. Her breathing was even now and she was turning the phial over in her hand. She was awake.

"I'm never letting go of you. Not until this is over." He said and rested his chin on her head. He could feel her shaking slightly. "What do you keep seeing?"

"I'm reliving the war, Elrohir. Each night is a different piece of it. Sometimes I dream of the happy times, before the war. Before Bilbo found the Ring. When I was a small child. Do you remember, when I first met the Dwarves? I was told that I would be their salvation. It wasn't something I hadn't put much stock in then. But when I was healing after the war, after I woke up, it made sense. But I ended up being the salvation of all, including the Elves and no one had been able to see it. If they had seen it, do you think it would have happened?"

"I don't know. But that is not all that you are seeing." He felt her sigh.

"He's been showing up in my dreams. Not all of them. Only some. Mainly the ones where the Ring has had the greatest part to play in them. Tonight, it was when we entered Moria. Tomorrow, who knows. I could be standing in Mount Doom, facing him once again."

Elrohir said nothing, instead choosing to hold her close. She didn't fight him and the two watched the sun rise.

* * *

 _She waited for thirty minutes before pulling off her boot and examining her ankle again. It was red again from the twist it had just endured. She touched it gently and bit her lip to keep back the hiss of pain that wanted to escape her._

"That looks like it hurts." Sauron said. She didn't look at him and focused on healing her ankle. _She breathed and then placed both hands gently on her ankle and began chanting softly. The pain began to go away first, quickly followed by the redness and the swelling. Finally, she muttered the spell that would begin to strengthen the ankle so she wouldn't risk falling in the middle of a battle._

"I will not fear you, Sauron." She said, looking at him and standing next to Gandalf. She stood and faced him. "I destroyed you. I will do it again." _The crunch of small stones had her knife swinging through the air. She stopped it a moment before it reached Gandalf's neck. She glared at him._

 _"Couldn't sleep." He said. "I'll watch."_

 _"I said I would."_

 _"And you also said you were fine after the Watcher grabbed you. But I've noticed you checking your ankle from time to time. What happened an hour ago was because of your ankle."_

 _"I was trying to avoid bumping into Boromir."_

"Ah, the faithful Boromir." Sauron's voice cut into the conversation. She turned on her heel and saw the Dark Lord looking at the man. "Weak of mind this one. Tried to control him. But his heart proved stronger."

"And so you took his body." Eleryna spat. "When he could not fight you."

"Well it was hard to meet the one who held my salvation in her hand while being just a spirit. Which you soon will be. The more you speak with me. The more you hold me within you, the stronger I become and the weaker you are."

"I hold nothing within me. Least of all any of you."

Sauron laughed and she drew her other long knife. "Foolish child. You carried my Ring for months. You carried my soul around your neck for months." She said nothing and they listened to the conversation she had had with Gandalf that night.

 _"I see. And now that you've healed it, you need to rest to get your strength back." Eleryna put her knife away._

 _"Gandalf, the Watcher grabbed me first among all of you. I was deeper in the doorway than Boromir and yet it grabbed me first."_

 _"I know. And I have a suspicion as to why."_

 _"And I have several." Eleryna answered. "You shouldn't have come. You all should have stayed in Rivendell or gone elsewhere. Moria is much darker than I remember." With that, she walked over to the wall, giving the hole a wide berth, and went to sleep. Gandalf was right about one thing._

"His suspicion was only partially true. But you knew that. You have been hunted your entire life." Sauron said as the guardroom fell away around them to be replaced with fire. "You knew that I would try to control you. I hunted you to use you for myself, to have my own army of Dark Elves that could stand against your kin. Orcs and trolls can only do so much. One of the Nine almost had you when you tried to warn everyone about me. If it had grabbed you then, the war would have been over before it began. I would have had all the time I needed with you. Instead I had to wait and I am tired of waiting. Give in to me."

Fire circled her wrists and she screamed before she could try to contain it. She tried to fight through the pain, to make it go away, knowing it was in her mind, but she couldn't. This was real.

* * *

 **Thinking this is close to ending. I'm getting to the ends of my plans, but first, I want to know what you think. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	9. Into the Fire

The siblings looked at her wrists a moment before Elrohir wrapped them in salve soaked bandages. The burns were bad, as if she had stuck her hands in the campfire and held them there. But if that were the case, it would have been her hands burned as well and they were completely unharmed.

"He is getting stronger." Eleryna said. "I don't know how much longer I can fight him."

"We're almost to Mordor."

"But what if he is right and a part of his soul is in me, trying to turn me into a vessel for him?" Elrohir looked directly into her eyes and she could see his conviction. The fire in his eyes was so much different from the fire she fought every night it seemed.

"Would you rather me kill you now and make father's vision come true? He saw that both you and Arwen had died. Arwen has lived. So have you, so far. But if you feel that you cannot contain what is in you or fight it out, then I will kill you now and put you out of your misery."

"And what would that accomplish?" She snapped. "He's alienated me from the rest of my family, save you. Now you are saying that you would rather kill me. If you kill me, he can still use me."

"But you are saying that you cannot fight him any longer." Elrohir said, keeping a firm hold on her hands. "You are saying that you would rather give in than fight him until you have killed him, even if that means you going with him. But if you would rather die than fight, then I will do it for you." The two of them sat where they were, staring hard at the other. Neither willing to give in. What was the point of everything? The war was supposed to be over and here she was still fighting, fighting her own brother. Sauron had made it personal and she would have to end it herself. She never should have brought Elrohir into this. He had been after her since the day she was born because of who she was. "What is your choice, Eleryna?"

"Go home, Elrohir. I never should have brought you into this. This is not your fight." She pulled her arms from his grip and stood.

"The hell it's not." He responded as he got to his feet and grabbed her shoulders. "You came to me. You are my sister. This bastard wants to use you to gain form and to be able to make an army that even the elves would have a difficult time fighting. I will fight him even if it means my death."

"You cannot fight him!" Eleryna said. "You can't fight what you can't see."

"He is in here." He tapped her head, hard. "I am here." I jabbed her chest, above her heart. "Fight with your heart, with me. When we get to Mordor, you are going to sleep. We'll make a broth and put you to sleep so you can face him, once and for all. I won't bring you out of it. You'll have to wake up yourself. Let's go."

"Ro,"

"No, Ryna. We are not discussing this anymore. Let's go."

* * *

Haldir watched from the rocks for any movement. They had decided to stay out of sight until Eleryna was seen. Gandalf was in his gray rags so as not to frighten her when she did arrive. They needed her to trust them when she arrived. Gandalf had said the best thing would be for Haldir to stay hidden while the wizard was talking to her. She didn't trust him and might attack if she saw someone she didn't trust. It was frustrating and Legolas had yet to show back up either. There was nothing they could do about their situation now except wait.

The elf looked towards the dark lands. He had tried forgetting them for the past year. Tried forgetting how close to death he got. It wasn't something he was eager to relive. He didn't want to be anywhere near this place of death. But Eleryna was going to come here soon enough and his first duty was to her, her protection. This fell into that category. She was in danger from Sauron who, as Gandalf had explained, tried to control her through the Ring and when that failed, tried to possess her much as he had done with Boromir. Except this time, it was worse. She was fighting against him and he would punish her for it.

Movement near the base of the mountains caught his attention. He looked closely. It was Eleryna and Elrohir. They were discussing how to cross the cavern now filled with molten fire. He had been afraid of this. Afraid that she would want to go into the lands themselves to face her demon. He couldn't let her. He got up and walked over to Gandalf.

"I know." The Wizard said. "You shouldn't come along, but you will anyway. We might as well. Maybe she'll think you are safe to be around when she sees me in these rags."

"If she sees you." Haldir said. "She hasn't seen another wizard since the incident in Minas Tirith. And you have not made yourself available."

"Regardless, we have to keep them for going into Mordor and learn their plan. Perhaps it will work from the gate." Gandalf began walking towards the siblings and Haldir followed, not liking Gandalf's plan to put their lives in Eleryna's sanity. Gandalf purposely kicked a rock and its echo caused Eleryna and Elrohir to turn sharply, weapons drawn. Elrohir relaxed when he saw that it was them. Eleryna, however, kept her blades at the ready. "We are friends. I am Gandalf. You know me, Princess Eleryna. This is Haldir. He is your guardian when you are within the borders of Lothlórien, the place you are set to inherit from your grandmother."

"I know who he is." Eleryna said. "He and my husband did not believe me about Sauron's war."

"It was something they didn't understand." Gandalf said. "They do now. Your husband is looking for you, tracking you, while we came to wait for you here. I take it you have figured out Sauron's master plan."

"He is torturing her mind into believing that everyone is against her. He has elected to hid himself from all, even the most powerful." Elrohir said. Eleryna scowled at him, but put her knives away. The wizard and elf saw the bandages on her wrist.

"What happened?" Haldir demanded and Eleryna reached for a blade.

"Sauron has been attacking her in her sleep." Elrohir said quickly. "This last time, he proved to have enough power to prove that he is real and not a figment of her imagination."

"How long has this been happening?" Gandalf asked, concerned.

"Months." Eleryna answered. "Since we visited Dol Guldur. I have tried to fight him off."

"I see." Gandalf said. Haldir could tell that this was not what the wizard was hoping to hear and feared it at the same it. "What is your plan?"

"I go to sleep and I don't wake until either he kills me or I kill him. He has been getting into my memories of the war. I figured since I faced him here that I should do it again." Eleryna looked hard at Gandalf and narrowed her eyes. "Do you mean to trick me?" She asked dangerously. Haldir placed a hand on his blade. "You fell and came back. I remember that much. You are no longer a gray, Gandalf."

"No, I am white. However," Gandalf explained slowly, "when you were rescued, you believed that I was Sauron. I did not want to trigger a trap he may have set against me in which you would try to kill me again." Eleryna looked at her wrists and nodded.

"If that is the case, you shouldn't be here. Just in case."

"I promised your father that I would see you safely through this. I mean to keep that promise. We should get you comfortable."

* * *

 _"They have a cave troll." Boromir muttered. Legolas and Eleryna tossed axes to the Men so they could wedge the door shut. Gimli climbed onto the tomb with a growl._

 _"Let them come. There is still one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath." Eleryna took a deep breath, glad she had healed her ankle a few nights before. Legolas began shooting arrows. He got two off before the doors burst in and the Orcs poured into the room. She jumped into the battle, decapitating Orcs as she danced among them. Then she heard the chain and saw the troll. She danced away from it, but it followed._

"So, we are still in Moria." Sauron's voice laughed. "You can't control where we meet, Eleryna."

 _The troll yanked and Boromir went flying across the room, landing on a ledge for a moment before rolling off. Aragorn threw his dagger to kill an Orc that was about to kill the man. The troll destroyed the tomb of Balin before wildly swinging its hammer. Then it started swinging the chain around and Eleryna saw that it was aimed for Legolas who was on the ledge. The chain wrapped around a pillar and Legolas was able to walk up it and shoot two arrows into the troll's head before jumping off. The troll turned on her again._

"Better move." Sauron laughed. She ignored him as _she strung her bow and shot at it, only making it angrier. She dove beneath it to avoid being cornered. Then Aragorn was attacking it while she tried to get to her feet. He was thrown against the wall and she was cornered again._ "That had to hurt." _The troll now had a spear in his hand. She dove beneath it again as it drove the spear towards her. The tip of the spear grazed her side, the side opposite her orc wound. Then everyone converged on the troll. Legolas shot an arrow into the beast's open mouth and finally killed it. She let Legolas help her to her feet. He blocked her from view as he pulled up her shirt and examined the wound. He pulled a dirty shirt from her pack and wrapped it around the wound as best he could._

"What do you want from me?" Eleryna hissed as she turned to face her enemy as the others began running. Sauron only smirked and followed them and she followed him, not wanting him to alter something.

 _Eleryna breathed heavily, the wound in her side taking its toll on her strength. They hadn't gone far when they were surrounded. Then a roar came from behind them. The orcs and goblins shrieked before running. Eleryna looked behind them._

 _"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked in a hushed whisper. No one answered._

 _Eleryna kept hold of one knife as Gandalf spoke. "A Balrog. A demon of an ancient world." Her eyes widened in horror and a glance at Legolas told her that he felt the same. "This foe is beyond any of you. Run!" They sprinted down the hall and to stairs where Boromir nearly fell, being saved by Aragorn once again. "Do as I say!" Gandalf suddenly shouted. "Swords are no more use here." They ran again until a break in the stairs stopped them. Legolas jumped first, followed by Gandalf. Orcs and goblins began shooting at them. Legolas shot back as Boromir jumped next, part of the stair breaking at his jump. Aragorn turned to toss Gimli across._

 _"Nobody tosses a Dwarf." Gimli said and jumped only to barely make the stair. Legolas reached out and grabbed his beard to keep him from falling. "Not the beard!" More of the stair broke away and she and Aragorn were forced to move up, she trying to hold the hasty bandage in place. Behind them, a large rock broke the stair, making their section unsteady. They adjusted their weight to make it move and fell towards the others and jumped as the two pieces hit each other. Legolas caught Aragorn while Boromir caught Eleryna. Then they were running again and soon made it to the bridge._

 _"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf called until he was the last one. Then the Balrog appeared. Eleryna was the last to make it across. She turned and noticed Gandalf had not followed her and was stopped in the middle of the bridge. "You cannot pass!"_

 _"Gandalf!" She called._ The Balrog looked at her and she saw Sauron floating above it, pointing at her. The Balrog's sword was put away and Gandalf forgotten. Moria was beginning to fall away, except for the bridge. Gandalf was shouting something at her as she raced forward to stand by him, Legolas no longer holding her back. The Balrog reached for her as the last remnants of Moria fell away as Gandalf fell into the abyss below.

* * *

 **Final battle is next. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	10. Fighting the Fire

Her wrists burned as she drew her knives and flipped them over her wrists. The scar on her side ached as she looked at Sauron and the Balrog. They were no longer in Moria. The memory had already left there. Now they were back in Mordor. Behind her was the gate if her view of the mountain was anything to judge by. The Balrog and Sauron were standing on the road between the tower and the mountain. It was all rebuilt. She had been right. She had never won and now he had transported her back to where he had begun his torture. This is where it began and this is where it would end. She had walked here with Elrohir. Now, she was inside the gate while he and Haldir and Gandalf were left outside. He had taken her without their realizing it.

The Balrog drew his sword again and she heard Sauron tell it not to hurt her too badly, that he needed her alive. This was it. She needed to end this now and then she could go back to her family and her responsibilities.

"Are you so much of a coward that you cannot face me yourself?" She called to the Dark Lord. "You fought me before and won. What makes you scared of me now?"

Sauron didn't answer and only laughed. It didn't make any sense to her right now. And it didn't matter either. As Sauron laughed, the Balrog attacked her and she needed to jump out of the way. The Balrog's sword made a gouge in the ground. It was too large to attack it head on like she would have done with any other opponent. The large beast had killed Gandalf, taken him with it to the abyss. Only Lord Glorfindel had ever defeated one of these and he had died doing it. The Valar had allowed him to return to Middle Earth though. The same couldn't be said for her. If she died while killing the creature, Sauron would get her body and she would have died for nothing.

She had to catch her breath as she landed hard on her back as she realized that was what Sauron was hoping for. He wanted her to die so he could take her body much like he had done with Boromir. But he was in for a surprise if he thought that she would go down easily.

 _"I am the daughter of Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían. I am the granddaughter of Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien, the Lady of the Golden Wood. Their strength runs through my veins. I. Will._ NOT _. Lose."_ She got up with a yell and charged Sauron.

* * *

Elrohir dug through Eleryna's bag, looking for the phial. She was starting to toss and turn. At one point, she gasped as if she had landed on her back. Gandalf said that she was fighting. If that was the case, then she needed help. He pulled out the phial with a shout of triumph and rushed over to his sister. Haldir looked at him.

"She is burning with a fever." He said.

"I know. But there is nothing that can be done about that. She is fighting him and he is using fire against her. This is what has been happening since Mirkwood." Elrohir explained. "Right now, all we can do is try to give her whatever strength we can muster." He forced the phial into his sister's hand. She clutched it tightly and light shone from it as she continued to toss and turn. Her fever burned hotter. Gandalf muttered words with a hand over her brow, but it did not ease her distress. She cried out and blood trickled down her face from her temple. Elrohir suddenly felt helpless. He said he would help her through this and all he could do was sit and try to keep her alive in this world while she fought her enemy in another. He had forced her from her family and her allies. Elrohir had been the only one to stay by her side like a loyal brother, like a protective brother. Elladan had thought he was protecting her by trying to bring her out of her delusion. Everyone had thought along those same lines and it had turned her against them.

Someone shouted from the hill above them and the two elves and wizard turned to look. It was Legolas. He was riding hard down the side of the hill. His hair was in tangles around his head and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days, trying to reach them. The last Gandalf had said they'd seen him had been when they were in Rohan and he got a message from his father about the two of them. He jumped off the horse and kneeled next to his wife. To his brother-in-law, he looked starved and he didn't see a pack and his weapons were barely hanging onto the saddle of the nearly dead horse.

"I'm too late." He breathed and fell to the ground next to her. Gandalf knelt next to the exhausted elf and they spoke in hushed whispers while Haldir dug some leftover food out of his supplies. Elrohir focused on his sister, placing a cool cloth on her forehead. It seemed to dry almost instantly. Legolas's eyes locked onto the phial in Eleryna's right hand. He dug into his pocket and pulled out two rings and sat up. "It's the last thing that I needed to do. We agreed we wouldn't bind ourselves this way unless we felt we were ready for it. Father had them ready for the entire time we've been married. I took them to be blessed by Lady Galadriel. I wanted to give Eleryna hers before she went into this final battle." With help, Legolas moved over to Eleryna's left side. "But maybe, even now, it will bring her the strength she needs to survive." He placed the ring on her finger, ignoring the heat coming from her skin.

* * *

 _"Maybe, it will bring her the strength she needs to survive."_ Legolas's voice echoed in her head as she blocked the blade. Sauron had called off the Balrog when it had nearly killed her several times during their fight. Not to mention that she had also been taunting him the entire time. As she held Sauron's blade back, she saw a thin, silver band appear on the ring finger of her left hand. She knew what it was. Legolas had shown it to her once before, when they had agreed that if they ever felt love for each other, they would wear the rings his parents had given each other. She had agreed to that since her mother's ring had gone with her across the ocean. It meant that he had shown up outside Mordor. It also told her that it was only her mind that was in Mordor. Her body was still lying on the ground outside the gates. If she died and Sauron won, there were several people who could kill her body before Sauron could use it. That gave her hope and comfort that she wasn't alone.

She pushed back against Sauron and pushed him away. Her chest began hurting as the scar stretched. The last time she had fought this man, she had nearly died and he had nearly had her then to. He did have her. She had been locked in the tower just yards from them. Elrohir had pulled her from it and taken her back to Minas Tirith where she had woken to find herself surrounded by her friends and family. Sauron had tormented her mind ever since, turning her from them. No more. No more would he have the chance to try to take her from those she loved and that loved her.

She flipped her knives over her hands again, ignoring the pain and noticing the phial hanging from her wrist. Her grandmother had given that to her when she had passed through Lórien during the war. It was meant to be a light in dark places. It had gotten her through many dark times during the war. Elrohir must have found it in her bag. She had never taken it out and it had been with her when she left to hunt for Sauron.

Sauron attacked her again and she blocked his attack. She needed to find a way to kill him for good. It would be the only way that she would have peace. She pushed him back and followed, finally attacking him. He gave up ground and she moved closer cautiously. She was not going to be fooled into a false sense of dominance. He was a dark wizard. He had created the ring everyone says she destroyed. She didn't see it on his finger now. Maybe she did destroy it. He had taken Boromir's body. It had been her duty to protect him and she had left him for the taking. She should have waited until he woke. Then he would have been safe. So much that she hadn't been able to do. She should have been able to save most of the ones who had died in the war. Forefront on her mind were her kin that had perished in Helm's Deep because of her. Because of Sauron and Saruman and their evil. She was determined to end that now.

Sauron turned and fled into the mountain. She followed him. It was all too familiar. She was back in Mordor and she was running into the mountain. She found Sauron next to the canyon. Below them, the liquid fire flowed. The heat was almost overbearing. It was the same fire that had been plaguing her since she had been pulled from the tower. It was Sauron. His heat. His fire. It was a fire that she was supposed to perish in. It is the same fire the Hobbit would have perished in had he tried to carry the Ring.

"Here we are again," Sauron said, his voice echoing in the large chamber. Eleryna said nothing. "Last time you brought me my Ring and threw it into the fire and destroyed it. It would have destroyed me as well if you hadn't taken the Ring upon your shoulders. Your willingness to take a part of me onto your shoulders gave me the opening I needed to get you and work on you. You nearly walking into Minas Morgul was me trying to get you there. You nearly let me have you. If it hadn't been for that Man, I would have had you. Did you realize that?"

His voice was like honey in her ears and she needed to keep him out of it. But he was right. She had nearly let herself be controlled into walking into Minas Morgul and giving up. If it hadn't been for Boromir, she would have. He was right, he had nearly had her then and he was trying to succeed now. He had always tried to get her so he could have her loyalty. So many had given their very lives to keep her protected even though she had been fighting as well. She wasn't going to let him win.

She flipped her knives and ran at him, muttering her battle cry as she did so. He turned and blocked her attack. Her scar throbbed more as did the others that had been poisoned. They exchanged blows back and forth, dancing their deadly dance around the small area. The clang of metal on metal echoed in the large cavern and in her ears. Neither talked now. Now, it was a fight for life and death. One of them was going to wake up with her power and body and the other would be dead, never to have another chance at life again. The metal continued to echo.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, and please review.**


	11. The Darkness Within

The four elves watched, helpless, as another line was carved into Eleryna's skin. It wasn't deep. The wounds had stopped being deep a while ago and were bandaged. Her skin still burned and she still lay unconscious. Elrohir sat next to her, guarding her from the other two elves. They had wanted to wake her, to stop this madness and he refused to let them. Legolas hadn't put up much of a fight as he was still trying to recover from his race to get to her before she went into this final battle. They knew Sauron's strength had increased since she had left Lothlórien to find the dark lord. The burns on her wrists were evidence of that, as were the scars she was accumulating as she lay on the hard ground. At least that was what the elves thought. The wizard had a different theory that he hoped and prayed was wrong.

Gandalf knew, had been told by Elrond, that Eleryna had been hunted her entire life because of the strength and power within her, the same strength and power her grandmother carried. It was this shared ability that helped Galadriel choose her youngest grandchild as the one to inherit the Golden Wood when she sailed. It was safe to say that she had mostly been hunted by Sauron as he hid in the shadows and waited for his Ring to be returned to him. Eleryna had taken that Ring upon her own shoulders, willingly. She knew she would have to fight against Sauron since the moment she put it around her neck. It was the only way she knew she could be sure that it was destroyed, if she did it herself. That must have opened a door that would have allowed Sauron to try to work his will on her and on those around her. She had been his target from the beginning. To have one of the strongest beings in Middle Earth at his side, Sauron would have been unstoppable. Now, Sauron was a part of her, had made her his new Ring and vessel. He had failed to place his malice within her, but he had put the core of himself there, and his will. That was what Eleryna was fighting. She wasn't fighting for control of her own body; she was fighting to assert her own will in her mind.

Elrohir looked at the Wizard, his eyes betraying his calm mask. The youngest son of Elrond knew what was happening to his sister. He knew that Eleryna was fighting for control. But he didn't know that Sauron was now an integral part of Eleryna. She would be fighting him for the rest of her days.

* * *

She held her blade in front of her as Sauron pressed down on it. She had had to block out everything else around her, including the voices of those that loved her outside. Their fighting had been distracting, something she would address when she finally ended this fight with the shade before her. But she feared she was losing. He had barely touched her, yet she was more wounded and weaker because of it. Every time she made to wound him, the blade would pass through him and the wound would become hers. She couldn't understand it. It didn't make any sense to her and she couldn't afford to try to figure it out right now. She pushed Sauron back and he moved backward, laughing. She didn't go after him. She was tired. She wanted to stop. But she couldn't. She had to win or risk Sauron running around with her body and power.

"What's wrong, Elfling?" He taunted. Eleryna looked at him. "Don't tell me you've given up, not after the fight you've been able to put up so far." He laughed. Eleryna held her knife like a sword. She had lost the other one in Mount Doom, before he had brought them here, to what looked like the ruins of Gondor. "You understand now, don't you?" He said, sitting on a crumbling wall. "You know that I am more a part of you than you previously thought. Your taking the Ring upon your shoulders opened a door to me that had been locked for decades. It opened a door that allowed me to insert my will into another living being. You destroyed the Ring before I could move my malice, but the core of me, my will and what I want, that is all here. That is what you see before you. And you cannot get rid of me. Every wound you have been inflicting upon me, you've been inflicting upon yourself. You have been fighting the darkest part of you, a part that I strengthened when you placed the Ring around your neck on that cold winter's night a year ago."

"No," Eleryna panted. "You're wrong. I'll drive you from this world!" She rushed him. He blocked her attack and threw her to the ground like she was nothing more than a rag doll. She struggled to get back to her feet and could only pull herself to a kneel.

"How can you drive me from this world if you can't even hold your ground against me while I am sitting on a crumbling wall?" Eleryna pulled herself to her feet, using her long knife to steady her. blood flowed from her wounds, making a puddle at her feet.

"If I die, I am taking you with me."

"Then slice your throat now and be done with it. As you can see, I am unharmed. You have received every wound you have sought to inflict upon me." Sauron got to his feet and approached her and threw her to the ground again. She pulled herself to her feet. "I'll make you a deal, Elfling. Submit to me and my will. Finish the work I started, and I will ensure that you are comfortable for the rest of our days."

"You can go to hell." She spat. Her body shook as she stood, facing him. His words made sense to her. She had learned a long time ago that there was a darkness within every being that walked Middle Earth, even her. She knew that by taking the Ring, she would be opening herself up to that darkness. All the injuries, Sauron had become the darkest part of her. But she refused to let him win. Even if he was the darkest part of her now, she had controlled it her entire life, she would continue to do so. She began moving her lips rapidly as Sauron grabbed the back of her neck and forced her to look up at him.

"There is no use in trying to gain power from that phial." He sneered. "You are losing your life quicker than anyone can save it. Except for me."

"I'll take my chances." She whispered. "Gilthoniel A Elbereth!" She shouted. The phial in her hand burned as bright light shot from it and engulfed the two of them.

* * *

 **Centuries Later:**

The elves on the docks looked at the new comers in awe. Many had believed they wouldn't come. She walked down the plank first, her white scars visible in the light from the setting sun. Aside from those scars, the two of them looked almost identical except he looked quite older than her. Siblings. She walked with a limp and her eyes betrayed a wisdom beyond her age, beyond the ages of Valinor's oldest residents. To those closest to her, that could look directly into her gray-blue eyes, they could see a simmering anger that didn't seem to belong to the she-elf before them.

A blonde, blue eyed elf pushed his away through the gathered crowd and pulled her into a tight hug that she returned with equal tightness. His tears fell onto her head. He had feared the worst when he had left her behind to sail. He had been called to the sea and not even his love for her could hold him past Aragorn's death. He let her go enough to be able to look into her eyes and see the darkness there, still caged in his cell of light magic. He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her and her brother through the crowd and to the city beyond. She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. Elves they passed bowed their heads in respect to her, and to him. They ignored them as Legolas guided his wife to his home that he shared with the dwarf whom had been granted extended life upon Valinor. Waiting for them in the great hall was her family and the wizard and dwarf. She left her husband to hug each of them, including her mother who had survived the poison. Her father had the hardest time letting her go.

Finally, she turned to her grandmother who was still as fair as the day she had left Middle Earth with the Hobbits and the wizard. She held her granddaughter tightly before holding her at arm's length and looking into her eyes and into her soul.

"Just because you have come to Valinor, Eleryna, does not mean that you can grow lax in your guardianship." Galadriel said. "Until you have been called to Mandos, you must guard the darkness within you lest you allow it to wreck havoc upon us again."

"I understand, Grandmother." Eleryna said. To her family, she sounded much wiser than when they had left her on the beach in the Gray Havens. "I know that I have to keep Sauron locked away and every day, it is a battle not to just let myself fade." She smiled and it reached her eyes, something that had not happened for many, many years. Galadriel smiled and hugged her granddaughter again. Legolas took her from her family and held her tight against him, not wanting to let her go.

Eleryna looked at her family, gathered, for the first time in her life, all in one place. Her brothers were teasing each other as they always did. Her mother and father were standing next to each other, happier than ever. The same for Galadriel and Celeborn. Haldir and Gandalf were laughing at the twins as they picked on each other and on Gimli who had joined in the celebrations. The only one missing was Arwen, the only one of them who had chosen to live a mortal life with the man she loved. Eleryna had gone to see her nephew before she sailed and had given him the blessing of their family. She was confident that the world was in good hands as long as he did not stray and follow the darkness within him, that was within all of them.

* * *

 **And so ends Eleryna's tales. I had done this fic because I had been curious about the aftermath of the war. Frodo goes back to his life the best he can in the books and in the movies and so I had wanted to see what would happen to my character being stronger in magic and being as important as she is. Thank you for coming on this journey with me.**

 **One last time for this fic:**

 **Thank you fore reading and please review.**


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